Setting Fire to the Rain
by Epic Duck
Summary: Live, laugh, love. Forgive and forget. Easier said than done, especially after what he did. Partially AU.
1. A picture's worth a thousand words

Dodge, parry, swing, kick, punch. Jayden was fast as lightning, a blur of motion. Time seemed to slow down, every step, every move, every strike, was met with a clash of the sword and a strike in return. In his mind he knew it was just practice, but in his heart it was real. He had the heart of a warrior, and the soul of a samurai.

Mind and body worked in unison, telling the leader and his second in command which move to make, when to make it, and how to anticipate the other's next attack.

Kevin was in the zone, focused on nothing more than his opponent, as a Samurai should always be, in battle and practice alike. He raised his sword to block a blow to his chest, but it didn't come. It slammed into his knees instead, next thing he knows he's flat on his back staring up at the sky.

Panting heavily, Kevin took the hand offered to him and Jayden pulled him off the hard ground he had been laying on.

"You two have been training for hours. You need a break," the Yellow Ranger said from the doorway with a small smile.

"We were just watching TV, if you guys wanted to join us," Mia said, appearing right by Emily's side.

Kevin nodded and set his weapon down, with Jayden following the three of them into the house silently. He always seemed to be lost in his thoughts, secluded in his mind from the outside world.

"Hey, Earth to Jayden!"

At the sound of Mike's voice yelling in his ear, Jayden snapped out of it and came back to reality.

"What, Mike?" there was some irritation evident in his voice.

"Nothing. I just bet Antonio five bucks I could bring you out of your thoughts," Mike smirked, holding out his hand for the money the Gold Ranger owed him.

A wrestling match ensued, forcing the others to break them up before they broke something.

As Antonio was pulling himself up off the floor, something caught his eye.

There was a small glass table in the corner of the room. It wasn't the table that caught his attention, it was what was on it.

On the table was a small picture frame. He carefully picked it up, as it could be very fragile. There was a photo of a man in a red shirt with his arm around a woman who must have been his wife, she had a wedding ring visible on her finger to confirm his theory.

In the man's other arm was a small child, a boy that couldn't have been more than a year old. He had sandy blonde hair and a big grin upon his face.

He set the old photo down and raced out of the room to find the others.

In the back of the picture, behind everyone, sat a figure. He was almost a shadow, sitting in the background with a scowl plastered on his young face. No one noticed, not his mother, his father, or even his 'precious' baby brother. But they would notice, they would care, he would make sure of it.

If only they knew the trouble that was to come, for it was only days after it was taken that their lives changed forever.


	2. A past long forgotten

The fire was spreading. Nothing was spared, family photos and furniture catching fire as the flames tore through the house. A man ran through the burning halls, dark brown hair a mess and crystal clear eyes seeing through smoke and rising fire.

He darted about until a slight gleam caught his eye, a window. He wasted no time in shattering the glass with a strong kick and leaping through the opening, being met with the crisp, cool air of the night. A wailing infant in his arms looked up at him, baby blue eyes wide with fear and blonde hair disheveled.

The man held him tighter and trekked up a hill with grass as green as ever, even in the darkness of the nigh. They stood atop the hill, gazing up at the stars, shining brightly as far as the eye could see. A moment of peace, before reality caught back up with them.

"Dadda," the small child whimpered, fear and confusion evident in his young eyes.

The man, clad in red, stroked the boy's hair gently, "We're going home, son. We're going home."

**oOo**

Jayden groaned and rubbed his tired eyes. He had been having the same dream over and over again for the past week. Mentor was concerned, but it really wasn't anything to worry about.

He turned his head slightly and looked over at a small wooden table beside his bed. A small picture frame held an old picture, a beloved memory. Despite his efforts, a single teardrop rolled down his cheek.

The picture showed him and his father, together. They were outside on a bright and sunny day, a small blonde boy sitting on his father's lap. It was the last time he had ever spent the day with him, the last time he had heard the laugh and seen the smile he remembered so well. Unlike some people, Jayden Shiba treasured his memories. Not like he had ever been much like other people anyway.

"I miss you, Dad," Jayden whispered. Memories came flooding back to him, but the strange thing is, he didn't remember that dream every happening. It must have been when he was very little, but why would he be having dreams about it now?

The leader felt his eyelids start to droop before everything went black and the darkness of the night consumed him.

"_What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, little one. But I know that doesn't make it right."_


End file.
